This invention is directed to electronic devices with embedded authentication systems.
Electronic devices, and in particular portable electronic devices, are used to store personal information. For example, users may use cellular telephones, PDAs, smart phones, or other electronic devices to store contacts, e-mail, calendar information, documents, and other information used by the user. While this information may not necessarily be confidential, users may desire that at least some of that information be unavailable to other people. One approach for preventing unauthorized people from accessing and viewing the user's personal information may be to require users of the electronic device to provide a password or pass code prior to enabling device functions or accessing device resources. For example, the electronic device may require a user to enter a four number or four letter pin prior to displaying the device home screen (e.g., a spring board) or menus. As another example, an accessory device for detecting a user's fingerprint or for scanning a user's retina may be coupled to the device such that the user must first show an authorized fingerprint or retina before receiving access to the device.
While both of these approaches may be useful, restricting access based on a password or pass code is effective only so long as no other user knows the password or pass code. Once the password or pass code is known, the restriction mechanism may become ineffective. Also, a password or pass code may be forgotten, thus locking an authorized user out of the device. In addition, requiring a user to provide a fingerprint or submit to a retina scan may be time consuming and bothersome for the user, requiring an additional step before the user can access the device. While this approach is more secure than entering a password or pass code, it comes at a cost in hardware (e.g., the necessary scanner, detector, or reader) and time. It would be desirable therefore, to provide an electronic device by which biometric and other authentication mechanisms are implemented in the device such that the device authenticates the user quickly and seamlessly, for example as the user turns on, unlocks or wakes the device.